The Jamaican Football Association has suspended Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey for remarks he made on the national team during an appearance on a podcast.The 26-year-old, who scored 14 goals in 52 games for Villa last season, hasn’t played for his country since 2023 and turned down a call-up to the Copa America roster.
Earlier this year, Bailey expressed his dissatisfaction with the national team setup, citing a perceived lack of professionalism, in an interview with the podcast Let’s Be Honest.
Bailey also talked about not getting compensated for participating in foreign fixtures and having to arrange his own travel.
And now, according to a statement issued by the Jamaican Football Association, Bailey has been placed on “temporary suspension.”
The FA has cited his podcast comments and non-participation in the Copa America, despite being selected by manager Heimir Hallgrímsson.
The statement read: “The Jamaica Football Federation (JFF), has made the decision to temporarily suspend the selection of Leon Bailey to the senior Men’s National Team.
“This choice was taken in view of the recent events involving his remarks and his selection but non-participation in the Copa America 2024 squad.
His expressed wish to take a break from his national duties was also taken into consideration, and delaying his selection will prevent any more misunderstandings. The JFF supports each player’s decision to play for their country’s national team and values their contributions.”
In March, he made remarks on the podcast in which he discussed concerns with international fixtures travel and a lack of professionalism.
He said: “A lot of people haven’t really thought about it from my point of view, how it is for me being Leon Bailey, playing for the national team that’s nowhere close to an England for professionalism or anything like that. I’m used to a professional lifestyle.
Many people are unaware that I frequently arrange my own travel in order to represent Jamaica because the airline companies are really unprofessional.
“The flight information is being emailed to you at 11 p.m., the night before your scheduled departure.
“I’m not paid by the Jamaican national team. The last time I received a dollar from the Jamaica national team is beyond me to recall.
“It’s very unprofessional, in ways you can’t even imagine.”
The Jamaican FA released a statement at the same time as the national side was eliminated from the Copa America after consecutive losses to Ecuador and Mexico.
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